Music Man

Patrick has teken a keen interest in Tom's musical instruments. Tom couldn't be any happier. Patrick tries to play everything from the bass to banjo to trumpet. He hasn't tried out the tuba or trombone yet. Yesterday he was dangerously close to getting a sound out of the trumpet. I think I will invest in some ear plugs.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Patrick had a very eventful night last night. He was up from about 11 pm until 1 am throwing up. We're not sure what happened, the only possible culprit we could think of was the milk we picked up at 7-11 on the way home last night. After he threw up 10 or 12 times Patrick was able to go back to sleep for the rest of the night. He woke up this morning in good spirits and was pleased to see that Santa brought him a shopping cart which he happily pushed around the house this morning. My poor walls don't ever get a break! Patrick seemed pretty bored by the wrapped presents, once we unwrapped them he was happy to see new toys but he never really got into the ribbons and paper.





Tom's mom gave Patrick a cute little vest she hand knit. Tom had one just like it when he was 2 :)



Patrick loved the new ride on bike he got from his grandma and grandpa.



He also loved the Weeble Wobble Treehouse he got from Chuck and Dee. All of Patrick's older cousins seemed interested as well!



My Mom and Michael gave Patrick a ride on firetruck with a bell and flashing light!



But his favorite toy was probably the set of wooden cutting food. The pieces stick together with velcro and it makes a nice crunch when you cut through. Patrick thought it was hilarious to cut the food and laughed and laughed.



So it was a very long day involving 3 houses and a nap for all 3 of us. Patrick seems to be feeling better, and is snug asleep in his bed.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

On Christmas Eve

The whirlwind 2 days of Christmas has begun. Poor Patrick is already overwhelmed by it but he did get to open some cool toys including a Mega Blocks farm that he thinks is VERY cool. Pictures to follow later :)

Cousins

Patrick got to meet his cousin Audrey today for the first time! Tom took him over to his mom's house this morning to see his Auntie Lisa and cousin Audrey who were visiting from South Carolina (Uncle Scott is on a research cruise). Apparently Patrick mostly told Audrey "no" and stole anything she touched (but he did say "thank you" when he stole it).

Step Into Christmas

Christmas is just a week away and we still have lots of shopping to do! Today we had an open house so everyone could see the remodel. Patrick didn't nap this afternoon but still did well. Patrick made sure to greet his guests as they arrived...


There was a lot of hugging going on...


Sara took this nice picture...


Yesterday Patrick tried on the wooden shoes Auntie Cheryl gave him when he was born. He loooved wearing them, stomping around on the hardwood floor and trying to jump in them (that part didn't work too well).



Patrick is a picky eater (just like mommy, whoops) and is currently on a yogurt kick. He loves to feed himself but creates quite the mess. Here he is last week in the middle of lunch. This was before it got really messy.

One Year Later

Happy one year anniversary to this blog!

Patrick turned 20 months old last week which sounds a little too close to 2 if you ask me. He's talking a lot an starting to string together words. Today on the freeway he said "Wow, big truck!". And it was a big truck! I'll try to post pictures this weekend, I feel so behind!

O Christmas Tree

Another busy weekend! On Sunday Cousin Danielle had her annual gingerbread house party. I figure next year Patrick will be old enough to make his own house an may not appreciate his mother's decorating tastes!





We also got our Christmas tree. We decided to do the grocery store special this year and got our tree at Nob Hill for $32.99. It looks nice but wasn't as fresh as the $100 trees down the street. I hope it doesn't dry out before Christmas. Thankfully Patrick doesn't seem too interested in the tree. I hope that continues.

Meltdown

Things Patrick has had meltdowns over this morning (keep in mind it is only a little past 10 am)...

• I didn't pour his milk fast enough for him
• I wouldn't let him stick toys in the VCR
• I wouldn't let him play with a tube of lip balm
• I wouldn't let him play with a tube of diaper ointment
• I wouldn't let him stand on his little table
• I put a sweater on him

I am such a mean mom, huh?

Bad Day Blues

I did something really stupid today. This morning I took Patrick to Target because I had to pick up a few things. He doesn't do very well in shopping carts so I have to make the trip as quick as possible and offer bribes (raisins). Patrick was thrashing about by the time we got back to the car and it was a real struggle to get him in his carseat. I set my diaper bag down on the pavement while I put him in the car and then drove home without it. I realized it as soon as I pulled in the driveway and high tailed it back to Target to find my bag gone. No one turned it in. I raced back home and tried to remember what exactly I had in my wallet so I could cancel my cards. I still had hope that someone would turn it in so I tried calling my cell phone (it was in the bag) but no one answered. When I called Citibank to cancel my card they asked if I had just purchased gas, I hadn't. So there went my hopes of someone turning it over to the police. I had to cancel my bank account because my checkbook was in the bag, it is a joint account so Tom can't use his ATM card or write checks either. So now it is 3 weeks before Christmas and I don't have an ATM card, a checkbook or a single credit card. It will take 7-10 days for replacements or everything and I have to open a new checking account. After I cancelled all of my cards I looked up the number to Sprint PCS so I could cancel my cell phone. I tried calling my cell phone one more time and it was answered by a woman who was the manager at a Walgreens, she said someone had turned in my bag there saying a woman left it in the parking lot (umm, yeah I left it in the parking lot of Target a mile away). So in the end I got my wallet back, it had been cleared of all cash (including every last coin). My checkbook was still there and no checks were stolen. My cell phone was still there and no calls had been made. I threw out all of Patrick's supplies, it grosses me out to think of someone going through his stuff. In the end it isn't that bad, I may have to wait for my replacement cards but at least I don't have to go to the DMV for a new license.

I have better hope for tomorrow. Maybe we'll go get our Christmas tree, Tom still has credit cards :)

Since I haven't posted pictures in a while, here are some from tonight from a camera phone. Patrick usually hates wearing hats but tonight he insisted on keeping it on during dinner out. Patrick and Tom split a milkshake, it was too cute.

Rain, Rain

I can't believe it is December already! Mother Nature celebrated its arrival with a seemingly endless rain storm. Patrick and I went out to breakfast this morning with our Las Madres pals during a lull in the rain but after that we spent the rest of the day in the house. I'm going to have to come up with some rainy day ideas otherwise this will be a very long winter.

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving! Patrick has a VERY rough day yesterday so we were a little worried about today but he did very well. We had two dinners, one with Tom's parents at about 3, and a second one with my Mom & Michael at about 6:30. Patrick didn't really get into turkey and stuffing but he did enjoy the pumpkin pie!

Memories

I was going through some old photos tonight and I'm just amazed at how much Patrick has changed in the last 19 months. I still think of him as my little bitty baby but when I look back I realize how much he has grown. Since I'm feeling nostalgic I thought I would share some pics with you all!


A few minutes old


2 days old


4 months old


6 months old


8 months old


10 months old


1 year


14 months


16 months


18 months


Thanks for looking :)

Picture This

This morning Patrick had his rescheduled Christmas picture. He was still scared of the whole thing for some reason but he did a little better once he saw the toy "choo choo". That was the only way he would smile and he cried when the train left.







I felt like the last picture really captured his personality (you know, a wild toddler on the loose!).

Morning Blues

Can I use this as a forum to whine a little bit about my morning?

This morning when Patrick woke up he puked, Tom thought it was becase he coughed too hard. By 7:30 this morning Patrick had puked 4 more times. All over my new rug, my new couch, and me. Luckily my nose is plugged up with a cold so I don't really smell it. So I clean it all up and get Patrick ready to go get his 18 pictures taken at the Picture People this morning (a month late, oops!). As soon as I got Patrick out of the car in the parking garage at the mall he starts puking again, I'm worried about him getting it all over his outfit so I pick him up and tilt him forward and he pukes all over my shirt. At this point we're close to being late for our photo appointment to I clean us both up with baby wipes and run into the Picture People. I have a huge wet spot on my shirt and I'm sure I smell like puke. Patrick decided he wants to scream and cling to me and will not cooperate at all, he seems terrified of the camera. He starts getting really worked up and I'm worried he will puke again. After about 5 minutes the photographer asks me to reschedule my appointment. So we're going back on Saturday morning when Tom can come and hopefully help out. The rest of the day was better (and puke free!) but I feel like I've been run over by a truck.

To quote one of my favorite childhood books "it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day".

Busy Bee

I feel like I'm slacking at the blogging lately. Life has been busy. On Friday I took Patrick to he Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose. I hadn't realized it was a school holiday and the place was completely mobbed. Patrick loved the water play area, next time I'll have to remember to bring a change of clothes with me!



The weekend was filled with dinner with friends, Jenn's housewarming party, trips to the grocery store and Costco, some Christmas shopping at Valley Fair, and getting the house ready for our final inspection next week. I have a feeling life is just going to get even busier until after the holidays.

American Boy

Have no fear for the future of America, look who voted yesterday...



OK, so maybe he didn't really vote, but he got the sticker!

Smile

Finally, a picture where Patrick is smiling AND looking at the camera!

Shopping Spree

I finished shopping for Patrick for Christmas today. Last year we didn't get him anything (I know, bad parents!). This year shopping was fun! Since he can't read this, I'll tell you all what Patrick is getting.

Knows Your Name Elmo




Doodle Pro


Splash & Scribble Elmo



Toy Shopping Cart
(picture borrowed from eBay, I only bought the cart)



Elmo Tee



Can you tell the kid is in love with Elmo? Now I just have everyone else to shop for :)

This Is Halloween

Happy Halloween! We've had a busy couple of days full of Halloween festivities. Yesterday we went to Happy Hollow with my Las Madres group, Patrick had a blast running around in his turtle costume (even if it was 75 degrees yesterday!).





All of Patrick's playmates were dressed up and just so adorable. Check out how cute Jo Ann and Sydney are!



Patrick also got a chance to play with his buddy Simon (AKA Dark Prince Simon).



Today we meant to carve pumpkins but never got around to it. Oops. My Mom and Mike brought over a fabulous dinner and Patrick ran around like a crazy man every time the doorbell rang. Our doorbell is shaped like a pineapple which the trick or treaters found amusing because every kid who rang it had to ring it 4 or 5 times. Patrick helped to pass out candy and seemed thrilled by it all. He even went along to see the local haunted house that a neighbor puts up every year. It was a very nice Halloween.





And just because I can, check out this blast from the past :)